1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to spin dryers and particularly to a spindryer for drying a large quantity of leafy vegetables having a new and improved bottom dump basket.
2. Prior Art and Information Disclosure Statement
An important step in preparing for market large quantities of fruits or vegetables is to thoroughly wash the product in order to remove all traces of dirt and insecticides. After washing, the vegetables must be dried since water that is left on the surfaces of the vegetables provide the environment for bacteria to grow and spoil the product. Leafy vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage and spinach are especially susceptible to spoilage if not adequately dried. These products are much more difficult to dry than products such as apples, peaches or pears because of the larger irregular surface area per unit volume of the leafy vegetable where water can be trapped.
In order to more effectively dry leafy vegetable product, spin dryers have been disclosed. Bock Inc. manufactures dryer systems (model FP 90) which include a basket into which the produce is loaded at a loading station. A yoke straddling the top of the basket has a pair of arms that are detachably secured to a pair of lugs attached to the side of the basket so that the chain of a conveyor hoist can be attached to the yoke and transport the basket from the loading station to the spin dryer. The spin dryer includes a container with a top entrance. The basket is lowered into the container and positioned on a platform mounted on the vertical shaft of a motor drive located beneath the container. The yoke is then detached from the basket and lifted away from the spin dryer. A lid is closed on the top entrance and the motor drive is activated to spin the basket. Water from the surface of the vegetable product is thereby forced to pass through the mesh basket and eventually collect in the bottom of the dryer. After the spin drying step has been completed, the lid is reopened and the yoke is reattached to the lugs on the side of the basket. The basket is lifted out of the dryer and transported by the conveyor hoist to an unloading area. The basket is then manually tipped in order to empty the contents out of the open top. This is accomplished by rotating the basket supported at the lugs while still attached to the yoke. The empty basket is next carried by the conveyor system back to the loading station.
Gimco, Inc., Salinas, Calif. manufactures a spindryer that also employs a yoke for lifting the basket similar to Bock.
A problem with the Bock and Gimco systems is that the dryers must have a larger diameter than the basket in order that the basket with lugs will fit into the dryer. Detachment then reattachment of the yoke to the dryer is an awkward procedure when the basket is in the dryer. Tipping the basket in order to empty the basket is also an awkward operation. Injuries have resulted to operators as a result of this unsafe operation. The exertion by the operator required to tip the basket manually depends not only on the weight of the product but distribution of the product in the basket when the basket is supported by lugs at the side of the basket.
Vibration of the spindryer as the basket is rotated is also a problem and, in dryers of the prior art, the product must be evenly distributed to avoid excessive vibration. The Bock construction uses a "gyroscopic" basket mounting in which the end of the vertical drive shaft extends up into a deep recess in the center of the bottom of the basket with the object of having the center of gravity of the basket and its contents coincide with the point of support at the upper end of the drive shaft. This design tends to interfere with ease of emptying the contents of the basket when the basket is tipped. The Bock design also uses a counterweighted basket for self-balancing operation. This additional feature adds to the expense of the unit. The Gimco spindryer has a basket lid that engages the top end of the basket and spins with the basket.